The reorganization of the Spotsylvania County School Board during its first meeting of the year Tuesday night proved uneventful.
Livingston District representative Megan Jackson and Belen Rodas of the Chancellor District were re-elected to second terms as chair and vice chair, respectively.
“Y’all making my job super easy tonight,” Superintendent Clint Mitchell said. “Last year, you gave me a lot of work. Tonight is super easy.”
It got a little tougher for Mitchell later in the meeting, when county resident Wanda Stroh requested that the school board deny his request to perform work outside of his role as superintendent.
Specifically, Mitchell requested to continue working as an adjunct professor at Longwood University, a guest lecturer at Howard University, and a superintendent coach for the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.
Stroh questioned Mitchell’s commitment to Spotsylvania and called out the school board for allowing him to hold those positions without prior authorization, even though his $245,000 annual contract calls for board permission. She also noted that the board amended his contract to allow Mitchell to reside outside of the county in Prince William, where he’s lived for many years.
Stroh said Mitchell’s decision to remain in Prince William created distance between him and the community and hinted that his outside endeavors will create a larger divide.
“Board documents show no recorded minutes authorizing this activity as required under Section 11 of his contract,” Stroh said of the additional jobs. “The superintendent position is not a part-time role. It is not something to manage between teaching elsewhere, lecturing or coaching. It demands full focus, availability and full presence, especially when he does not reside in this community.”
The board disagreed with Stroh’s assertion and voted unanimously to approve the request for outside work. However, Jackson acknowledged that she “dropped the ball” and was not aware of the need for board approval when Mitchell began working at Longwood last semester.
“I can own up to that,” Jackson said. “By the time it was realized, he was already wrapping up the semester, and what’s done is done.”
Jackson went on to note that former board member Lisa Phelps, who was sometimes critical of Mitchell in other ways, pushed for the amendment of the contract to allow him to live in Prince William, citing his consistent presence in the community despite the distance.
But Mitchell said he’s perplexed that Stroh, who he said is Phelps’ former campaign manager, brought up his contract.
“The concern that was brought up by the speaker last night is just a continuation of the same issues that I dealt with last year,” Mitchell said. “My contract is not public but yet the citizen who happens to be the former campaign manager for Lisa Phelps has a copy of my contract. So clearly last night brought some clarity as to why former board member Lisa Phelps led the charge to have the board amend my contract to remove the residency requirement … I always wondered why she was being so kind and [Monday], I learned a lesson and that is to use the weapon against me to continue the same rhetoric we have seen for the last 15 or 16 months.”
County resident Vanessa Lynch said during public comment that because the way Mitchell, who is Black and a native of St. Lucia, has been treated by some, she understands if he’s hesitant to move to Spotsylvania.
“For a man that has received so many racist things since he’s been here, the fact that he doesn’t live in the district makes sense,” Lynch said.
Board members who spoke in favor of Mitchell’s outside activities said the experience he gains when performing those duties benefit Spotsylvania, too. Mitchell said that all of the activities are on the weekend or after 6 p.m. Caroline Superintendent Sarah Calveric serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond and Stafford Superintendent Daniel Smith has worked at the College of William & Mary.
“This is what we do. We’ve got to teach the next generation of leaders,” Mitchell said.
Rodas said she’s noticed during the hiring process in the past year that many prospects had ties to Mitchell through his outside work. She said when other divisions are battling for the same educators, Mitchell’s connections make a difference.
Lorita Daniels of the Salem District said Mitchell should have leeway to do what he wants outside of the hours he’s required to work for Spotsylvania.
Carol Medawar, who represents the Courtland District, said Mitchell’s experience as an adjunct professor will keep him abreast of current education trends. First-year board member Jennifer Craig-Ford of the Battlefield District said she can relate to Mitchell because she has businesses related to law, mental health and a spa in addition to her work on the school board.
“He is a lifelong educator and that is what he’s always going to do and that is the type of person we want running our school division,” Jackson said. “We want someone who is always learning and always educating. This man has showed up every single day to do his job. He’s out in the community. Everyone knows him. I don’t know how he does it. I don’t know the go-go juice that he’s drinking but he is getting it done. He is showing up energized and he’s energizing the community.”
In other business, the board heard from representatives of the five high school marching bands in the county, with each requesting $25,000 in additional support from the division. They noted that the bands are surviving because of fundraisers and student dues, which range from $250 at Spotsylvania High to $450 at Chancellor. Each band has an annual budget of $60,000 to $65,000.
The funds go toward purchasing and repairing instruments as well as other expenditures. Melanie Hobbs, who was representing the Chancellor Band Parents Association, noted that the school division pays stipends for a band director and an assistant director, but not other needed positions.
“If the county can pay for multiple assistant coaches in sports like football and track, we’re asking that they also cover such assistant positions for marching band,” Hobbs said.
